Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Yippeeee!!!!

Well, I did it. I submitted my grants yesterday. I cannot tell you what a feeling of freedom and relief I feel! I have now submitted five grants while pregnant - often multiples at a time. For those of you wondering what it feels like to write five grants while teaching large lecture classes, doing research, mentoring students, serving on budget crisis committees, and being pregnant ...well, pictures speak a thousand words:

Doable with a little creativity. On that note, I have to admit that I never realized how much hard work went into gestating. I've been trying to decide how many publications gestation alone should be worth on my CV. I'm leaning right now toward 5-ish. One day, I'd love to serve on a search committee and say: "Look, in 2015 Dr. Amazing had 2 papers in Ecology and a baby. That is some sick-ass fucking productivity". (Sadly, I think it is much more likely that I will be able to get away with saying "sick-ass fucking" than count a baby as scientific productivity).

Anyway, I'm hoping that I will now be liberated enough to start blogging with more regularity since I will no longer be feeling like this:

Where I'm the one on the left and my proposals are on the right.

Good luck to those of you racing to finish your proposals for upcoming deadlines!

9 comments:

Congrats. Mine for this round is gathering signatures as I write. I should have it off my desk by the end of the day, so I can switch gears and fix up another grant to submit before the end of the month. [insert picture of hamster on wheel]

My current advisor proudly told me when I was a prospective student that one of his grad students "is almost finished and has produced two babies and a nice thesis in the past 6 years." So, at least some people would let you count your pregancy for something in the same breath as your publications.

A number of years ago my wife and I survived a month long marathon grant writing session - five proposals. After being turned down for 4.5 of them we put together the following website.

Thought you might appreciate it...

The Project

"To All Philanthropic Funders: Unprecedented Funding Opportunity

Our project will save the world in three years. The environment will be completely restored, all social needs will be met, economic markets will be free, fair, and ecologically sustainable, and all spiritual values will be respected and upheld.

Our programs offer a perfect fit for all funder program goals, objectives, and funding criteria. In addition, qualified funders appreciate the fact that The Project moves beyond meeting specific objectives to attaining program goals. We actually solve and eliminate previously intractable problems.

Because of the effectiveness of our programs we receive a high number of proposals offering to fund our project. We also have an obligation to maintain a small, thoughtful and committed staff -- as you know “a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals" is the only thing that has ever changed the world. Due to our limited needs for funding and our part-time work schedules we find it necessary for us to limit funders involved in The Project to only the most qualified organizations.

...If you believe your funding is appropriate to The Project you may begin the funding process by reviewing our Funding Source Criteria."